@SteveB Yeah I'm really not a fan of rich people.

I had the grain truck show up on the coldest day of the year andI had nine does giving birth pretty much all at once and he wanted me to stop and go get a check, I had to actually explain I couldnt stop to write a check in that situation. My best friend ran it to the MFA the next day for me. I have fallen asleep in the kidding house in my insulateds after assisting a maiden doe give birth. Most of the time I don't have to intervene and in fact its best not to unless there is a problem but on those super cold days and nights it is crucial to get those babies dried off and fed and warm. It is nice to meet fellow livestock people here. I was beginning to think I was the only one!

I can not personally relate, but I had an employee who had to calve. He would tell me of the horror stories, and how little sleep he got. He was mighty fond of peach brandy

@misstuffy There are a few others here mostly hobbyists, I think sounds like me you farm to make a living.

@HeathenFarmer Yep, I even have been known to drag an animal into the house if need be to ensure their survival. I do have an outside job building carbon fiber parts for high performance aerobatic aircraft but I have now developed an allergy to the chemicals used and so my days are numbered. The company is trying to figure out ways to keep me in that job but I don’t feel I want to risk my health any more than I have. Problem is I am the very best builder they have ever had and my work is on aircraft all over the world. Oh well…..

@misstuffy I have been a full time farmer for 34 years this March other than doing some issue based consulting for the government or its agencies it is the only way I have made my living. Prior to that I was a weekend farmer working as a power engineer. So, if you leave the company do you qualify for WCB pension or do you even have that in Iowa? The reason I ask is that the last consultation I was involved in was for regulations for Occupational Health and Safety for farm labour. Here in Alberta you would qualify for that and retraining for a job of equal or better pay.

@HeathenFarmer IT is a small company and for years he paid under the table to avoid paying workmens comp which I could really use right now. I did talk him into a 1099 because I am not comfortable cheating on my taxes and he is. He is a nice guy and a Deacon of the Church BUT I will get no pay for the time I was off sick due to the work related chemical poisoning and he is a huge tax evader. I guess that is why he is one of the richest people in our county.

@misstuffy Wow, and he has made you complicit as a tax cheat for taking pay under the table. Here, he would open himself up to a huge lawsuit for workplace injury not to mention massive fines and possible jail time. No employer here is exempt from Occupational Health and safety regs. even if their industry does not require enrolment in WCB; like clerical work in an office setting is. You maybe better off to enrol yourself in it as a contractor than to continue without it, at least you would get some pay when you are off sick from poisoning.

@HeathenFarmer Im getting out. My official title is Administrative Assistant to the President of the Corporation. I always made sure I declared my income as self employment so if he gets caught thats his problem. I paid my taxes. I am the IT dept, the shipping dept and we ship a lot of stuff all over the world so I do the customs paperwork, I built and maintain the company website and social media too. I wear a lot of hats.

@Leutrelle Alcohol and lack of sleep are a real bad combination, you end up sleeping through cow checks and lose calves for preventable reasons.

@misstuffy That being the case you have nothing to worry about if you contact occupation health or labour department other than a job you are going to have to quit anyway to avoid dying.

@misstuffy I'm older than you and I still have all nighters with a bottle of scotch.

@Whathappensnow I never did take to drinking, just never liked the taste of alcohol, now Pepsi is my poison....

She was what's referred to as a super sleeper. It's very rare but some people have extremely efficient sleep cycles. Was she very upbeat and cheerful? This is suggested to be a correlation even though it's not clear why.

@SocraticAddict Now that is interesting. Yes. always upbeat, always cheerful. Good at the things she did, but a real dunce on everything else.

@Dick_Martin lol I had read that there was a mild correlation to specialization as well. This is a short article you can check out. Only a shallow dive into it but might point you in the right direction if you wanted to check out more. [psychologytoday.com]

@SteveB I got 9.5 hrs last night

@SteveB When Seniors moved out of the dorms? The rest of us made out like bandits. Lots of recycling. I approve!

Actually people around here often curb items (with no sidewalks) and mark it free. And often it works! (I do live where there are loads of Antiquing folk - so I think that's part of it.

I also had a couch made out of a car bench seat. That was pretty cool. My brother put it together for me.